What the hell is happening with the world?

[Warwithin]

Really, what the hell is going on these days? We've got more countries revolting and more blood shed by protesters as the days go on. Whether you want to believe it or not, we're still in a world where unstable, irrational leaders have nuclear codes. Even though it may not be the flavor-of-the-month story or top trending topic on Twitter, it is a very real threat. Even putting all the supposed "natural disasters" that are aimed to take place over the next few years (Solar Storms, 2012 (lol), Volcanoes, etc.), there is still one large, looming question that stands out:

What the hell is happening with the world?

Are we finally nearing the end? Not the end of the world or even of mankind, but the end of the world as we know it? It only takes one lunatic on a poor nights sleep to start a global nuclear holocaust - that's the reality of the situation we're in. I believe there was a quote (And I'm paraphrasing) "I'm not sure what World War III will be fought with, but I'm positive that World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." and I think there is some serious truth to this. Where is the world heading?

Going back to the protests for a moment, I understand that the vast majority of these stem from people wanting democracy rather than tyrannical rule - which is odd seeing as how anti-western the Muslim (apologies for a generalization, but the it is true that the majority of people over there are in fact Muslim) religion is.

Now, don't be confused. This isn't to try to start some "New World Order" discussion - nor am I trying to fuel or advocate some sort of "There is a hidden truth that seems to elude everyone and you're all fucked" type of discussion. If those are true, there isn't shit we can do about it and unnecessary stress and paranoia won't help. All I'm trying to say, or, should I say ask, is what the hell is going on? Why is all of this happening? Why now?

[Deleted]

I can't imagine "the end of the world as we know it" happening, but it is for sure that world is changing. Information reaches places where it might not have reached before, people grow tired of bowing to tyranny - they might even know "how much better it could be". Not saying any country is perfect since I don't have strong feelings for or against the US or any other country (well, okay, strong feelings against countries torturing their citizens and robbing them of their human rights, but that is all rather subjective).

There are too many people on this Earth for all of us to survive, and natural disasters and wars will happen as we fight for food and space. This snowball has been rolling down the hill for a while now, and I see nothing stopping it anytime soon. Maybe it'll end with some nation popping off bombs that wipe out half of the Earth's population. Who knows?

[Nymeriea]

Because people are sick and tired of what has been happening with the world.

First of all, Islam is not anti-Western--dictators who use Islam to control a country's population are anti-Western because the best way to maintain control is through fear. If they keep the people united against a common enemy (the West) they're much less likely to try and revolt. We saw it in the Iranian Revolution, especially. By outlawing satellite T.V. and sending people to jail for not wearing veils properly, people were much more afraid of how their clothes looked (because it could land them in jail) to worry about why they were only hearing one perspective on the news. Islam is actually relatively progressive, and was at one time much more liberal than Christian attitudes. If you get down to the level of the common person, I can almost guarantee you that most of the Muslims you meet will not share the "everything Western is evil" view.

Secondly, as to why the world seems to be coming apart....it is! And that's a great thing! It feels like you are asking a frustrated people to calm down their legitimate protests because you are worried that their panicked leaders will push the button to nuke us all. However, that's the very thing these people are fighting against! Government tyranny and legacies of power that leave no room for the people's input. It's much harder to nuke a country if it has to pass a vote first. Basically, what the hell is going on? People around the world are inspiring each other to protest and fight for a new form of government that they feel is democratic and legitimate. Why is all of this happening? People are sick of tyranny. Why now? Domino effect, I think. If they see that one country can do it, then they certainly have the same power.

[Fuzzzie]

There are already plenty of topics on the individual points.